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Can authors hear their characters? News

by David Shaw, 13 May 2020 | 0 comments

Image of a girl walking into a doorway in a book with butterflies overhead.

Writing your own stories can be a fascinating experience. Do you ever feel like you’ve heard or seen the characters from your writing, as if you’ve met them in real life? Turns out, many professional authors have these vivid experiences when writing.

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The language of time News

by David Shaw, 5 October 2017 | 0 comments

A sand timer on a road.

How do you imagine time? Is it a road, with the future fading off into the distance? Or is it an ocean, slowly draining as we spend our precious seconds? Surprisingly, the way you imagine time might affect the way you experience it!

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Dogs don’t like hugs News

by David Shaw, 20 May 2016 | 0 comments

A lady hugging a dog.

Australians love dogs. About 40 per cent of Australian households have a dog. And if you love your dog, you should give it a hug, right? Probably not, new research shows.

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Measuring fairness News

by David Shaw, 2 December 2015 | 0 comments

Two kids, one with a big slice of cake and one with a smaller slice.

Imagine this game: you and a stranger are sitting in front of a machine. The machine has two piles of lollies. There’s one pile for you and one for your partner. You have two handles. Pull the green handle and you both get lollies. Pull the red one and no one gets anything.

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A touchy subject News

by Pat, 20 September 2013 | 0 comments

Hand.

Our senses allow us to perceive what is around us. Without them, it would be very difficult to navigate our world.  We have many senses, and scientists have recently discovered just how sensitive one of them is – touch.

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Birthday paradox Activity

by David Shaw, 3 September 2013 | 5 comments

A wrapped gift, a party hat, decorative ribbon, and a cupcake with a lit birthday candle on a calendar. ©iStock.com/Double_Vision

How likely is it that at least two people out of 30 will share a birthday?

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Ancient body builders News

by Mike, 19 March 2013 | 0 comments

Marble head with a missing nose

Humans have been modifying their bodies for millennia. The 5000-year-old, freeze-dried remains of a man found in the Ötztal Alps of Europe was tattooed with lines. People from cultures around the world still mark their bodies with scars, stretch their lips and earlobes, or undergo painful ceremonies to adorn their bodies with symbols and markings.

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Practice makes perfect? News

by Pat, 7 December 2012 | 0 comments

Violin.

When you learn something new, be it a musical instrument or how to ride a bike, you usually need to practise. Practising means we get better at doing things and learning things we didn’t know before. It makes sense that to get better at something we should practise longer – right?

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